Telescoping lubricator assembly for wireline operations



Oct. 19, 1965 w. R. MARSHALL TELESOOPING LUBRICATOR ASSEMBLY FOR WIRELINE OPERATIONS Filed Sept. 21, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 19, 1965 w. R. MARSHALL TELESCOPING LUBRICATOR ASSEMBLY FOR WIRELINE OPERATIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 21, 1962 INVENTOR.

l V/Z 70/1 ,6. IVA/9.17 444 United States Patent 3,212,581 TELESCOPING LUBRICATOR ASSEMBLY FOR WIRELINE OPERATIONS Wilton R. Marshall, Houston, Tex., assiguor to Halliburton Company, Duncan, Okla, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 21, 1962, Ser. No. 225,229 6 Claims. (Cl. 166-84) The present invention relates to means useful in running tools suspended from a wine line or cable into and out of an oil or gas well, the invention being particularly useful for curing conditions resulting from a failure of the wireline to freely move through its wiper section occasioned, for example, by stranding or bird caging" of the wireline such that the projected cross-sectional area of the wireline becomes abnormally large and no longer suitable for safe passage through the wiper section.

Briefly, the arrangement described herein involves what is known as a lubricator assembly in which a Wireline passes through a pair of telescopable pipes or barrels and a wiper section. The pair of telescopable pipes are normally extended in normal conditions of the wireline. When a fault, i.e. bird cage, in the wireline of the character mentioned above occurs, the wiper section, which then forms an obstruction for passage of the wireline, may be removed and the pair of pipes sealingly telescoped to position the remaining assembly below the bird cage, after which the wiper section may be reinstalled below the bird cage and the Wireline moved upwardly a distance suflicient to allow the pair of telescopable pipes to be extended to their normal position. In both the extended and retracted positions of the pair of telescopable pipes, the same are sealingly retained to allow this operation in high pressure wells. In some cases the assembly may include means such as flow tubes for balancing or alleviating pressure conditions at the wiper section and in such cases, as described herein, the flow tubes, which also provide an obstruction, are removed and replaced with the wiper section.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to pro vide means for the purposes outlined above.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide means for convenient removal of a portion of a wireline which is: in a bird-caged condition inside a lubricator assembly.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide a useful construction for these purposes involving an assembly having a pair of telescopab-le pipes which are sealingly retained in both their extended and retracted positions. I

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide a construction for these purposes which is particularly useful in connection with operations in high pressure wells.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. This invention itself, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates an assembly embodying features of the present invention with the parts thereof shown in their relative positions for normal operation.

FIGURE 2 is generally a cross-sectional view, on enlarged scale, through the assembly shown in FIGURE 1, and also illustrates the presence of a bird cage in a portion of the wireline in the assembly; FIGURE 2 showing the assembly in normal extended position.

3,212,581 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 ICC FIGURE 3 is a view of the same assembly but with the same in its retracted position.

In FIGURE 1, a lubricator assembly 10 embodying features of the present invention has a lower flange portion 11 mounted on a connection flange 12 of a conventional well head assembly 13 incorporating valve means 14 above the wing flow lines of the well head so that the assembly 10 can be installed and removed from the well head without shutting down the Well or interrupting in any way its production flow, if desired. The assembly 10 is positioned in vertical alignment with the production tubing or pipe which is suspended in the well head and a tool (not shown) in such tubing or pipe is connected to and suspended by wireline 9 which, as shown in FIG- URE 2, has a bird-caged portion 9A preventing its safe upward withdrawal from assembly 10.

The present description is concerned with removing such bird-caged portion 9A and more specifically in positioning the same from its position shown in FIG- URE 2 to its position shown in FIGURE 3. For explanation of the same, a detailed description of the construction of assembly 10 now follows,

In FIGURE 1, the assembly 10 includes a lower lubricator pipe or barrel 16 which carries the flange 11 at its lower end and which has a special coupling member 17 threaded on its upper end. The coupling 17 sealingly and releasably connects to the lower end of the intermediate lubricator pipe or barrel 18 which, under conditions described later, may be telescoped from its normal positions shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 to its telescoped position within the lower barrel 16 as shown in FIGURE 3.

The upper end of barrel 18 is threaded within a special nipple 19 having an external threaded portion 29 which is not used in the extended position of the telescopable members 16 and 18 as shown in FIGURES l and 2. The nipple has operating means illustrated in the form of han dle members 21 secured thereto.

The upper end of nipple 19 is threaded within one half 23 of union 24 having its other half 25 threaded on the lower end of an upper lubricator barrel or pipe 27 which has its upper end threaded on the lower end of lower flow tube housing 28, the housing 28 having its upper end threaded on the lower end of upper flow tube housing 30 which has its upper end sealed, using for this latter pur pose: a flange 32 threaded on housing 30, a flanged and split sleeve 34 bolted on flange 32 and a split resilient wiper plug 36 threaded in sleeve 34.

A sheave 33 is rotatably supported on arm 39 having its lower end swiveled in its support 40 which is clamped on flange 32.

Wireline 9 is trained over sheave 38 and, as shown in FIGURE 2, extends in succession through: the split resilient fluid wiper ring 46 retained in the split fluid wiper housing or plug 36; the split hold-down bushing 47 which is engaged by split sleeve 34; the split stripping rubber or wiper 48 which is pressed by bushing 47; the split ported spacer sleeve 50; the split flow tube 52 which has a shouldered portion 52A engaged by a cooperating internal shouldered portion on housing 32 and also by set screw 54; and the lower split flow tube 56 which is likewise retained by a shouldered portion and set screw 58 with a spacing 59 between such flow tubes.

Fluid conduits 60, 61, 62 and 63 each communicate respectively with (a) a space 65 between ring 46 and bushing 47 through port 66 in sleeve 34, (b) the interior of ported spacer sleeve 50, (c) the space 59 between flow tubes 52 and 56, and (d) the interior of lubricator barrel 27; and such conduits communicate with fluid control means which, While diagrammatically illustrated in FIG- URE 1, are considered to be the same means for serving the same functions and purposes as those described in the copending application of Bliss Adamson et al., Serial No. 808,835, filed April 24, 1959, and assigned to the present assignee. Such control means 79, per se, form no part of thepresent invention and may be used in conjunction with the conduits 60, 61, 62 and 63 and the assembly shown and described herein for alleviating conditions at seals which are encountered in the use of tools suspended on wirelines in high pressure wells in the manner described in the above-mentioned copending application. Indeed, in those instances where the assembly does not require or use flow tubes 52 and 56 and associated fluid control means for balancing or alleviating high pressure conditions, the present invention still has utility.

Under the normal extended condition of the assembly shown in FIGURE 2, it is seen that the lower end of pipe section 18 has a bushing member '75 threaded thereon with a shouldered portion 75A engageable with an internal shouldered portion 17A of coupling member 17 and with annular sealing means 76 recessed in bushing 75 sealingly engaging an inner wall portion of coupling member 17. A split collar 77 is releasably mounted on pipe section 18 for engagement with the coupling member 17 to secure this described sealed and releasable connection between bushing 75 and coupling member 17. It is noted at this time that the coupling member 17 also has an internal threaded portion 17B and annular sealing means 78 which are engaged by the threaded portion 20 in the retracted position of the pair of pipe sections 16, 18 as shown in FIGURE 3.

In order to cure the undesired condition shown in FIG- URE 2 wherein the passage of bird-caged portion 9A of the wireline is obstructed by the flow tube, the apparatus described may be operated in accordance with the following procedure. The well pressure to the interior of assembly 10 is relieved using conventional techniques and this may involve closing of the valve 14 and operation of the fluid control means 70. After the pressure is relieved, the wiper assembly and flow tubes are removed from encircling relationship with respect to the wireline 9, and to allow this, the parts forming such wiper assembly and flow tubes are manufactured, as indicated above, in split sections. These parts include the plug 36, wiper ring 46, sleeve 34, bushing 47, wiper 48, spacer sleeve 50 and flow tubes 52 and 56, most of which are removed through the upper end of flow tube housing 30. The removal of these parts may be facilitated in the process of retracting the pipe section 18 into pipe section 16 which comprises the next step. This step is performed after disengaging the wireline 9 from the sheave 38 and using a suitable support to which the wireline is then fastened to maintain it taut. While the wireline is thus held, the clamp 77 is released and removed to allow the pipe section 18 to telescope within pipe section 16. The coupling threaded portions 20 and 17B are then joined with the sealing means 78 therebetween and this may be facilitated by releasing the union connection 24 and using the handle 21 to join these threads.

This amount of telescoping movement is sufiicient to lower the assembly such that the bird cage 9A is then above the upper end of flow tube housing 30, allowing reassembly of the above-mentioned parts and training of the wireline around the sheave 38 as shown in FIGURE 3. Pressure may be then applied to the assembly and this may involve opening of valve 14, in which case the fluid control means 70 is again effective to equalize or alleviate pressure conditions on the wiper elements such that the wireline reeling mechanism may be again operated; and after the bird cage portion 9A is sufficiently removed from the sheave, well pressure may be again relieved from the assembly and the pipe section 18 extended from its position shown in FIGURE 3 to its position shown in FIGURE 2, after which well pressure may again be introduced into assembly 10 and the wireline reeled through the assembly.

While the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for running tool-s suspended from a wireline into a well comprising, in combination, a pair of telescopable pipes having an extended position and a retracted position and through which said wireline extends in both said positions, a wiper housing mounted on the upper end of said pair of pipes, means in said housing for wiping said wireline, said wiping means forming an obstruction for passage of said wireline when its normal projected cross-sectional area becomes abnormally large, first cooperating means between said pipes for sealingly retaining the same together in said extended position, and second cooperating means between said pipes for sealing- 1y retaining the same together in said retracted position, means releasably securing said wiping means for attachment and detachment from said housing, and union means releasably securing said wiper housing on the upper end of said pair of pipes, and valve means mounted on the lower end of said pair of telescopable pipes and in fluid communication therewith in said extended and retracted positions.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said first and second cooperating means include means on one of said pipes releasably engageable alternately with means on each of opposite ends of the other of said pipes in said extended and retracted positions respectively.

3. Apparatus for running tools suspended from a wireline into a well comprising, in combination, a pair of telescopable pipe sections positionable in an extended position and a retracted position, a wiper section, said wireline normally passing through said pipe sections and said wiper section, union means releasably securing said wiper section on the upper end of said pair of pipe sections, means for releasably and sealingly securing said pipe sections in said extended position, means for releasably and sealingly securing said pipe sections in said retracted position, wiper elements in said wiper section, and means releasably securing said wiper elements in said wiper section, and valve means mounted on the lower end of said pair of telescopable pipe sections and in fluid communication therewith in said extended and retracted positions.

4. Apparatus for running tools suspended from a wireline into a well comprising, in combination, a first pipe section having its lower end adaptable for securing to a well head, a first coupling member threaded on the upper end of said first pipe section, a second pipe section, a bushing member threaded 011 the lower end of said second pipe section and having a portion engageable with a portion of said coupling member, first sealing means between said coupling member and said lower end of said second pipe section, a releasable collar on said lower end of said second pipe section and engageable with said second pipe and said coupling member, a second coupling member on the upper end of said second pipe section, said second pipe section being slidable in said first pipe section to a retracted position therein, said first and second coupling members having cooperating parts for retaining said second pipe section in said retracted position, second sealing means between said first and second pipe sections in said retracted position, a third pipe section, union means coupling said second coupling member to the lower end of said third pipe section, and wiper means releasably mounted on the upper end of said third pipe section.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 including handle means carried on said second pipe section.

6. Apparatus for running t-ools suspended from a wireline into a well comprising, in combination, a pair of telescopable pipes having an extended position and a retracted position and through which said wireline extends in both said positions, means mounted on the upper end of said pair of pipes for wiping said wireline, said means forming an obstruction for passage of said wireline when its normal projected cross-sectional area becomes abnormally large, first cooperating means between said pipes for sealingly retaining the same together in said extended position, and second cooperating means between said pipes for sealingly retaining the same together in said retracted position, and means releasably securing said wiping means for attachment and detachment from said pair of pipes and said wireline, said first cooperatng means including a coupling member threaded on one of said pipes, a bushing threaded on one end of the other of said pipes engageable with an internal shouldered portion on said coupling member, sealing means between said bushing and coupling member, and releasable clamping means on said other pipe engageable with said coupling member, said second cooperating coupling means including means on the other end of said pipe releasably engageable with said coupling member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,054,572 2/13 Langley 285302 1,635,289 7/27 Scott 285-302 2,482,455 9/49 Bailey 16684 2,616,504 11/52 Osmun 166-83 2,851,252 9/58 Le Bus 285-3()2 2,927,642 3/60 Meredith et a1. 16675 FOREIGN PATENTS 855.369 1 1/ 60 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR RUNNING TOOLS SUSPENDED FROM A WIRELINE INTO A WELL COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF TELESCOPABLE PIPES HAVING AN EXTENDED POSITION AND A RETRACTED POSITION AND THROUGH WHICH SAID WIRELINE EXTENDS IN BOTH SAID POSITIONS, A WIPER HOUSING MOUNTED ON THE UPPER END OF SAID PAIR OF PIPES, MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FOR WIPING SAID WIRELINE, SAID WIPING MEANS FORMING AN OBSTRUCTION FOR PASSAGE OF SAID WIRELINE WHEN ITS NORMAL PROJECTED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA BECOMES ABNORMALLY LARGE, FIRST COOPERATING MEANS BETWEEN SAID PIPES FOR SEALINGLY RETAINING THE SAME TOGETHER IN SAID EXTENDED POSITION, AND SECOND COOPERATING MEANS BETWEEN SAID PIPES FOR SEALINGLY RETAINING THE SAME TOGETHER IN SAID RETRACTED POSITION, MEANS RELEASABLY SECURING SAID WIPING MEANS FOR ATTACHMENT AND DETACHMENT FROM SAID HOUSING, AND UNION MEANS RELEASABLY SECURING SAID WIPER HOUSING ON THE UPPER END OF 